android Retroarch dual config trick

[thatman84]

Found a little trick to help with the dual config thing with retroarch if you don't have root.

This will allow you make the config file Hyperspin launches the same as the normal one

Works in RetroArch 1.3.6 & 1.4.1

Hyperspin launched games use retroarch.cfg located in root data/user/0/com.retroarch

Retroarch direct launched games use retroarch.cfg located in local storage (mine is) storage/emulated/0/android/data/com.retroarch

 

You can now access the root retroarch.cfg file from the gui

Steps

1. Go to settings->directory
2. Change your config directory to "data/user/0/com.retroarch"
3. Go back to main screen and find "load configuration"
4. Scroll down to the bottom and load retroarch.cfg
5. Change any settings required
6. Go to -> "Save Current Configuration"
7. Quit via the menu
8. Reload RetroArch and reset you config directory
9. Save Current Configuration

The main settings to change are the directory for System/BIOS & Configuration Directory

You will need to create the folders if they are not already availiable

Heres a rough video of the process

 

[aftermath17]

This is great.  There's still no way to make the Hyperspin-launched Retroarch point to the retroarch.cfg that is used when we launch Retroarch by itself right (the one we have write access to)?  Because the Hyperspin retroarch.cfg is located in folder that we don't have rights to, we can't reverse the A/B button numbers for the menu the way we can with the standalone RA right?

[thatman84]

No I can't find a way to point it at the normal access retroarch.cfg although I did decompile the APK and find the set path. I just couldn't get it to install after recompile because it wasn't signed so gave up.

 

you can still swap A/B if your using per core configs. Probably if your using overrides aswell. May just have edit a cfg file. Although latest night lies have the A/B swap built in. I just have not upgraded yet so don't know Howe! I don't want to lose my cores

[badhemi]

12 hours ago, aftermath17 said:

This is great.  There's still no way to make the Hyperspin-launched Retroarch point to the retroarch.cfg that is used when we launch Retroarch by itself right (the one we have write access to)?  Because the Hyperspin retroarch.cfg is located in folder that we don't have rights to, we can't reverse the A/B button numbers for the menu the way we can with the standalone RA right?

The new nightly has the buttons changed in default. Same as the shield button layout. Less confusing

[aftermath17]

Do you sideload the nightlies?  Is it worth updating to nightlies or will these changes make their way to the Play Store production version soon?  I usually prefer to stick with stable so my setup doesn't break

[badhemi]

15 minutes ago, aftermath17 said:

Do you sideload the nightlies?  Is it worth updating to nightlies or will these changes make their way to the Play Store production version soon?  I usually prefer to stick with stable so my setup doesn't break

Use Google on shield. I tried stable and my shield doesn't like it. Lots of freezing

[aftermath17]

Have to say, the nightly looks and behaves much nicer.  First game I tried was a MAME game.  My button A does what button 3 does in the arcade (jump).  My button B does nothing.  Button X does what button 2 does in the arcade.  Button Y does what button 1 does in the arcade.  I have an Nvidia Shield controller.  I guess I have to go through every core and reconfigure the buttons?  Maybe this is where I do some research on overrides so I'm using the newest "way" of doing things?

[thatman84]

I dont believe this trick will work anymore as RetroArch 1.3.6 Play Store Stable doesnt see the "data/data" director now but instead uses "data/user/0". HyperSpin is still using the "data/data" path as its launch directory.

[diskmach]

Thanks, this worked for me so I could fix three systems that weren't reading their bioses.

But I don't quite follow why you need access to data/data? The retroarch.cfg is in  data/user/0/com.retroarch as you mentioned?

I'm on 1.3.6, by the way.

[thatman84]

I have forgotten the exact directories since doing this but recently broke my setup and have to test it again. Just can't find time at the moment.

i am thinking they are the same theoretical location but need to test. (I have adjusted my hyperspin apk to use the data/user directory) need to see if hyperspin data/data apk and my custom hyperspin data/user apk are reading the same retroarch.cfg to confirm)

[thatman84]

Updated with video and better step by steps

[donprime]

Thanks Thatman84, this fixed the data/data bug for me on my Nvidia Shield and I can now see my custom cfg for each core I made. I still can't get hyperspin to launch my custom configuration with shaders and overlay. I have to load my custom config from the configuration menu everytime I start a game from with in hyperspin. Is there any way to force hyperspin to Launch my custom config per core? 

[thatman84]

You can't tell Hyperspin to launch any other config file other than the retroarch.cfg in data/data

you would have to use the retroarch overrides system.

[EyMannMachHin]

Wow... I should not try such things in the middle of the night. Took me like an hour to find out what I was doing wrong. The part about actually loading the HSA config somehow didn't sink in and I did always load the main config in Android/com.retroarch and save it to /storage/emulated/0/Retroarch/config. Until the penny finally dropped 

So my Android setup is making some progress now. I cannot get the Jaguar to anything though, even though the PC Windows Retroarch seems to be doing fine. (both are on 1.5.0 stable)

That is a great help, thank you!